The Magnetic Field of Earth

Today I learnt what earth's magnetic field is and the purpose of it...

What exactly is a magnetic field?

A magnetic field is a place in space near a magnet or an electrical current where a physical field is created from a moving electrical charge that creates a force on another moving electrical charge.

What about earth's magnetic field?

The magnetic field of earth surrounds earth and shields us against harmful particles in space. The field is created by the rotation of earth and it's core. The field extends from it's core all the way out into space.

The field shields us from harmful solar winds, erosion, coronal mass ejections, cosmic rays, you name it. This harmful energy gets repelled far from earth's surface into doughnut-shaped zones called Van Allen Belts.

Why do we still have geometric storms then?

Well... our magnetic field isn't perfect. Geometric storms create temporary cracks in our magnetic field which allow some energy to penetrate earth's surface. Geometric storms cause damage to satellites, power grids and radio communications. They can even be the culprit of massive electrical blackouts.

Though geometric storms cause damage, we do benefit by seeing the pretty light auroras in the sky!

Geometric storms may be damaging, but earth's magnetic field does a great job at keeping us protected.... without it, we would have a lot more serious things to worry about (if we were still alive)

And the magnetic poles?

Earth's magnetic fields flip every 300,000 years or so due to the magnetic field being in continual flux, this doesn't have any negative effects either. And no, magnetic poles are NOT the same as the geographic poles. In fact, they're in completely different locations!

I hope you enjoyed reading this!